


History

by orangepumpkins



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Self-Reflection, forgive potential inconsistencies having to do with pre-debut timeline please, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 18:00:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14753619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangepumpkins/pseuds/orangepumpkins
Summary: In his childhood, Seungcheol was taught to be patient and work for what he wanted. This is his story.





	History

**Author's Note:**

> Happy 3 years to seventeen~ I can't believe I've sold my soul to them so long ago. I'm so proud of how far they've come and so happy to have interacted with so many amazing people because of them.
> 
> This is part of a prompt series that I've been working on for like almost nearly as long as I've been a Carat (so please note that a bulk of this collection was written from like late 2015-mid 2017. I've got a lot of editing to do lol), based on fortune telling from playing cards, which I've more or less given up on completing, but will eventually post all that I've written regardless of not being able to write all of them. Please comment if you think I should put them all into a collection anyways... The prompt for this one was the seven of hearts: An unfaithful or unreliable person. Broken promises.

When Choi Seungcheol was recruited into Pledis Entertainment, he was fifteen. 

As a trainee, he practiced hard, hoping to be able to prove his skills enough for the title of an idol. Making appearances in senior artists’ videos, being back up dancers, and being featured using his new-found love for rap in singles and personal mixtapes, the teen continued to persevere. 

With Aaron, Jonghyun, Dongho, Minhyun, Doyoon, and Minki, his brothers in arms and fellow trainees, Seungcheol the CEO finally made mention of a name for their group: NU’EST. With a name, everything began to speed up and Seungcheol often found himself grinning at the thought of soon debuting. But months turned into a year and soon a year turned into two. As time passed, Seungcheol found himself questioning if a debut was truly going to happen, but would quickly reprimand himself for thinking such things. 

Seungcheol’s seventeenth year finally rolled around and the pledis boy trainees were finally given information about their debut. NU’EST would debuted as a quintuplet. Seungcheol would not be in it. 

Feeling cast aside, Seungcheol watched as Aaron and the others underwent specific training to prep them for their debut. He took peaks at their new songs when he could, wondering if he were to debut with them, which parts would he have. 

Eventually, NU'EST was moved to another dormitory and Seungcheol was left feeling alone with just the broken promise from CEO Han. 

\- 

Seungcheol wasn't really alone though. He had Doyoon and as they stuck with the training, they were assigned another group within months, Tempest. He wasn't one of the younger ones either. Entering Tempest meant entering the hyung line. With the eyes of people like the young Jihoon looking up to him for guidance, he felt more pressure and responsibility, but yet he couldn't do a thing. 

Time went on. Various members of the so called Tempest, along with a few other of the newer trainees took a role in NU'EST’s debut music video. Seungcheol was proud of his brothers but couldn't quite ignore the burning of jealousy and frustration in his chest that he swallowed down like bile. 

Months passed again and the CEO once again brought on a broken promise. Tempest was no more, a new group, Seventeen, was to take its place. By this point, several new recruitees had come to train under Pledis and Seungcheol was certain that soon...soon he would be able to debut because not even CEO Han could be cruel enough to deny so many young men their dreams. 

\- 

Seungcheol had been a trainee for three years now and had been passed from group to group, his debut looking more and more hazy in the future. He had since long ago learned to steel his heart from disappointment and from curious classmates asking when he would finally debut. 

Seungcheol was nineteen when CEO Han said that they would begin 17TV to introduce the public to the idea of Seventeen. Perhaps he would eventually get to debut, the teen would think to himself, but never did he say it out loud in fear that he would actually start believing it. 

When given the chance in the few rare occasions that he encountered the CEO individually, he would ask with just a hint of hope in his voice, when they could finally debut. When he could finally debut. But always, it was the same unreadable smile and pat on the shoulder. CEO Han would tell him the same lines of “soon” and “just a little longer. When you're ready.” 

Seventeen grew into a large family, and Seungcheol felt a suffocating responsibility to take care of his younger brothers who were all growing equally as frustrated with their seemingly nonexistent future debut. But even with showcases and a small fanbase, Seventeen continued to train without news of debut. 

Eventually, “a little longer” was just too long for some, and soon Seungcheol’s brothers began to leave him again. First little Samuel, followed by Mingming, Doyoon, and Dongjin. Doyoon’s eventual absence probably took the biggest toll on Seungcheol’s fighting spirit, but aside from allowing himself sad smiles at Jihoon’s knowing gaze, Seungcheol didn't let himself show his dark heart, especially in front of the newer trainees, both Jeonghan and Myungho seeming so meek when they first came. 

\- 

The happiest day of Seungcheol’s life, was when CEO Han made a surprise visit with an assistant carrying a hefty box behind him. The hefty box revealed itself to be full of rings and diplomas. Seventeen was finally going to graduate from being trainees. One by one, the ring boxes were set up in neat little rows and soon the ceremony began. 

When Seungcheol felt the ring slide snug onto his finger, he fought the tears that threatened to come out. He was the official leader of his little family now. He had to be strong. He clapped and cheered for the other boys as well. Soon was becoming a reality. 

\- 

But yet, the rings, Seungcheol came to see, were yet another empty promise. Months passed and there was little news of debut and even the future of the company seemed murky at best. The young man would occasionally wonder if anything would change if he just tossed the ring aside and left like so many of his brothers, but he had worked too long and hard now, devoting his entire adolescence to this dream. And even if it were just an empty promise, Seungcheol couldn't bring himself to take it off and admit defeat. He was much too stubborn for that. 

And so, when ordered to surrender the piece of jewelry under the lights of the Pledis boardroom, big black cameras, and the calculating gaze of the CEO, in his twenty-first year, something inside Seungcheol broke. 

What broke inside the Seventeen leader though, was not the fighting spirit itself, but the thing holding it back. With the 17 Project, a chance to debut was finally in sight and Seungcheol would do anything to grasp it. And so, he did. 

The rest is history.


End file.
